Bicentennial Bell Garden Project

The Bicentennial Bell Garden – Project Description

The Bicentennial Bell Garden will be located at the corner of 3rd and Walnut Streets in Philadelphia. The current garden (the Benjamin Rush Garden) at this corner will be rehabilitated and the Bicentennial Bell will be the focal point of the garden, which will make it more accessible and visible to the public.

Rehabilitation includes the following:

Ground support for the weight of the Bicentennial Bell

New irrigation system

handicap accessibility throughout the garden

New interpretive Garden with canopy trees

An outdoor classroom to serve the thousands of students who come to the park each year

This garden will not only help beautify the corner of 3rd and Walnut Streets but it will tell the story of how two nations who started in war can become great partners and allies. The Bicentennial Bell Garden will complete our story and finally allow us to proudly display this wonderful gift that symbolizes two nations shared heritage.

Friends of Independence

The Friends of Independence was created in 1972 and is the first Friends group in the National Park Service. Over our long history we have purchased or acquired over 1,000 artifacts for the park’s permanent collections, fund-raised for large public spaces in the park and provided educational tours and programs to visitors and locals alike.